after a lengthy period of stagnation, i’ve returned to practicing piano.  i cannot say i am particularly fond of the songs in my music book “Adult Piano Adventures, Vol. 1.” “When the Saints Go Marching In” is like totally removed from anything I would ever ever aspire to play. The “African Melody” I tried to learn tonight sounds vaguely Anglo-fascistic. But somehow, I tell myself, all of this is ultimately good for my training, that something good will come of this. 

there actually is something good that might be happening. i think i am beginning to trust my left hand. this has never happened before. it’s always been so cautious and inhibited and self-conscious. but i’ve been letting my left hand loose a bit, letting it flail all over, giving it freer reign, and once in a while it happens to strike the right notes. and even when it strikes the wrong notes, i’ve become more patient and accepting. I guess “Adult Piano Adventures” is a form of couples therapy.